Fulfilling the Promise of LCFF

How a System-Strategy Return-on-Investment Approach Can Transform Education Spending in California

In 2013 California adopted a new funding formula that includes a significant reinvestment in public education after years of budget cuts. The new law, called the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), directs more resources to students with higher needs and provides more local control and greater transparency. California districts have now made it through the first full year of LCFF, and they're looking at their first update to their Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs) with the benefit of experience.

The question is: Will the LCAP turn into just another compliance exercise? This paper explores what we call System-Strategy Return on Investment (ROI) in the California context, and how it can be used for maximum, lasting impact.